Field Reports
Ombudsman Reelected in Kyrgyzstan
OMBUDSMAN REELECTED IN KYRGYZSTAN
by Aigul Kasymova (02/06/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
On December 10, 2012, Kyrgyzstan celebrated 10 years since the creation of the Ombudsman’s Office or the Institution of the Akyikatchy in Kyrgyz. During the ten years since its creation, the Ombudsman’s office has been recognized as a vital tool of democracy. According to the institution’s statistics, more than 200,000 people have applied for an appeal in 10 years. The Ombudsman is viewed by a majority as a mature state body, whose aim is to protect the rights and interests of its citizens and preserve dignity and honor.
Opposition Leaders Arrested After Riot in Azerbaijani Town
OPPOSITION LEADERS ARRESTED AFTER RIOT IN AZERBAIJANI TOWN
by Mina Muradova (02/06/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
An Azerbaijani court has ordered two opposition leaders, one of whom is planning to run for the 2013 Presidential elections, to be held for two months awaiting trial as authorities investigate their involvement in the staging of riots in the town of Ismayilli.
Georgian PM Ivanishvili Strips Defense Minister Alasania of Vice PM Post
GEORGIAN PM IVANISHVILI STRIPS DEFENSE MINISTER ALASANIA OF VICE PM POST
by Eka Janashia (02/06/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
Georgia’s Defense Minister and the leader of the Our Georgia-Free Democrats (OGFD) Irakli Alasania, one of the six parties constituting the Georgian Dream (GD) collation, has dismissed speculations over the possibility of the GD’s collapse after his February 2 meeting with Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili. The first signs of uncertainty emerged on January 22 when Alasania stated on the Georgian Public Broadcaster’s political talk show Accents that he had “tense” talks with PM over the upcoming October presidential elections. Ivanishvili’s concerns were prompted by the fact that the OGFD’s discussions over the presidential candidacy were not synchronized with the GD, Alasania said, adding that “I agree fully with him that the presidential candidate should be agreed with the coalition and agreed with the coalition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili.”
Kazakhstan Embarks on Far-Reaching Economic Reforms
KAZAKHSTAN EMBARKS ON FAR-REACHING ECONOMIC REFORMS
by Georgiy Voloshin (02/06/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst)
In his December 2012 address to the nation, President Nazarbayev presented an ambitious program of political, economic and social transformations aimed at permitting Kazakhstan to become one of the world’s thirty most developed and prosperous countries by 2050. Nazarbayev’s decision in mid-January 2013 to reorganize the government, via the establishment of a new ministry in charge of regional development and the optimization of policy functions within existing structures, was the first demonstration of this new course. Later on January 23, the Kazakh president met with members of his government in order to provide concrete guidelines for the short- and medium-term.
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Joint Center Publications
Analysis Niklas Swanström and Leah Oppenheimer, "Invisible Ink: Looking for the Lost Trade between China, Russia, and Central Asia", ISDP Policy Brief, 13 March 2013. 
New Silk Road Paper S. Frederick Starr with Adib Farhadi, Finish the Job: Jump-Start the Afghan Economy, December 2012.
Conference Report Cheryl Benard, Eli Sugarman, and Holly Rehm, Cultural Heritage vs. Mining on the New Silk Road? Finding Technical Solutions for Mes Aynak and Beyond (in cooperation with the Alliance for the Restoration of Cultural Heritage) December 2012.
Article Svante E. Cornell, "The 'Afghanization of the North Caucasus: Causes and Implications of a Changing Conflict", in Stephen Blank, ed., Russia's Homegrown Insurgency: Jihad in the North Caucasus, Carlisle, PA: U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, 2012.